24 Sneaky Ways to Organize Your Whole House

Some days your house may feel like a zoo but it shouldn't look like one. Whip your home into shape by following these expert tips and tricks for tidying spaces — your closet, playroom, bathroom, and more — that are notorious for collecting clutter. Your hard work will pay off in the long-run. You'll see.

Stash all of your goods into these best-selling silicone bags. With more than 900 Amazon reviews, these reusable (!) bags are a kitchen essential because you can throw them in the oven, microwave, freezer, and dishwasher. The Good Housekeeping Institute loves 'em too.

Alison Gootee

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Pantry

Stock shelves like the grocery store does. By placing the newest boxes, containers, and cans behind the older stuff, you'll use the older food first. Keep stock of what you actually have by placing dry foods (including cereals, beans, nuts, and flour) in labeled containers.

Cluttered countertops are a chef's nightmare. Grouping kitchen gear by color lets you reap the benefits of an organized kitchen without the stress of visible clutter. Amp things up a notch by taking everything off the counters and storing them on open shelves.

The key to having a fridge as pristine and organized as a celebrity (think: Khloe Kardashian) is clear, stackable storage containers. This set of six containers fits different fruit and vegetables, condiments, drinks, and eggs. You can customize 'em depending on your style, which means you can even designate them for different dishes or days of the week.

Turn the back of a cabinet into a makeshift shopping station with an adhesive pocket for coupons and chalkboard decal for shopping lists. And hey, you can even include your home's wifi password in case for the next time the kids' friends come over.

"Maximize the space under the sink by adding stackable storage like bins and drawers to make the most out of the open space," suggests Rachel Rosenthal, founder of Rachel & Company. If you find yourself reaching for these products often (think: soap, feminine hygiene products, and spare rolls of toilet paper), then try a stackable cabinet with a sliding drawer for easy access.

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Bathroom Sink

"Assign each family member his or her own color and use this as an organizing principle all over the house — each person's toothbrush, towel, and laundry hamper can be coordinated in the designated shade, making it easy for everyone to find their own stuff and (more importantly) put it away," Sharon Tindell, chief merchandising officer, The Container Store suggests. Start small with the bathroom (toothbrushes!) and then expand.

Keep your everyday essentials — jewelry, skincare products, perfume, and makeup — in one spot with this two-piece organizer. Your most-worn products will still be at arm's reach without causing a mess on your countertops. Win-win.

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Linen Closet

You can never have enough sheets and towels ... until your closet is overflowing with mismatched, ratty, and well-loved linens. Instead of tucking them away in baskets, place everything straight on the shelves so that you can see exactly what you have. Use shelf dividers to keep everything separated and prevent stacks from toppling over. Rosenthal's top tip: Store sheets sets within the pillowcase to take the stress out of making the bed.

Nobody has time for mismatched socks. This set of four fabric organizers — six dividers for scarves or ties, eight dividers for underwear, seven dividers for bras, and 24 dividers for socks — gives everything a home. Plus, you'll actually be able to see if you're running low on something before you try getting dressed in the morning.

Jared Smith

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Craft Supplies

Unless you're an avid crafter, you probably don't bust out your ribbon stash on the daily. Before gift giving season hits, set up a portable (and pretty!) ribbon station by placing the color-coordinated spools in a shallow box. When it comes to wrap, you can shop through your stash to find what you need.

For some, their personal library is tucked away in a Kindle. For others, it's scattered on shelves, nightstands, and floors throughout their home. Make your bookcases functional and pleasing to the eye by ordering books by height or color for a less cluttered, more cohesive look per organizing expert Jeffrey Phillip's recommendation.

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Clothes

Take a note from the fashion experts to make your mornings so much easier. "Take tried-and-true outfits and hang the items together — shirts, pants, and accessories," suggests Stacy London, former host of What Not to Wear. By placing clothes and their coordinating accessories on streamlined velvet hangers, you'll be able to fit more in your closet, no matter the size.

Since you spend a lot of money on your bags, you might as well keep them in tip-top shape. This space-saving organizer holds up to six purses or backpacks, and easily hangs right in your closet.

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Shoes

Whether you have designated shelves, shoe boxes, or a cluster of shoes at the bottom of the closet, organizing shoes heel to toe can maximize your space and give you a better look at the assortment of colors, toe styles, and heel heights.

Although paperless receipts are slowly but surely becoming the norm, there are still plenty of retailers and restaurants that give out the paper kind. "Save receipts on the fly with Shoeboxed, an app that lets you photograph store slips or forward e-mail receipts," says Donna Smallin, author of Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness. Once uploaded, you can categorize receipts and easily find them on the searchable server.

Protect your kids and pets from power strips by storing them inside a wooden cable organizer. To understand what's what, Josel recommends saving the plastic tags from loaves of supermarket bread, write the name of each device on a tag, and clip it around the relevant cord. Genius.

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Playroom

If your kid's playroom doesn't have a hula hoop, then you need to get one ASAP. Here's why: "Put a hula hoop on the floor and challenge your kids to pick up everything inside the ring and return it to its proper place. Keep filling it with toys until the floor is completely clear," says Josel.

Because every house with school-age kids needs one. "Fill a clear plastic bin with pencils, scissors, rulers, and other supplies, so your child doesn't burn through precious time hunting for supplies every day," says Josel. "When the assignments are done, everything gets returned to the bin and your child sets up his or her backpack for the next morning."

In your living room, swap out the coffee table for a lidded ottoman or a steamer trunk. This allows your kids to store all their toys in one room without sacrificing your knack for décor. You can even pick up a couple of them and designate each ottoman for a specific kid or toy type.

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Garage

Remember: Your garage is actually made for storing cars, not stuff. "Go vertical with your storage by making the most out of the wall space, even above the garage doors," says Rosenthal. Install pulley-style systems for bulky items that you don't use everyday like ladders and bikes.

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